Sublime front man Bradley Nowell, who died 15 years ago this month, left behind a legacy that is intrinsically tied to Long Beach and the rest of Orange County. This week's cover story pays tribute to the man who put Garden Grove on the map, who sang about the perils of date rape and invented the surf punk rock/reggae/ska hybrid that Southern California is now so famous for. Stories from his family, No Doubt's Tony Kanal, Slightly Stoopid's Miles Doughty, Butthole Surfer's Paul Leary, the Vandals' Joe Escalante and Dexter Holland of the Offspring give us a glimpse of how Nowell lived and loved.

After the jump, watch the OC Weekly interview with Jim Nowell, Brad's father. Throughout this week until May 25, we'll be posting other stories from Aaron Barrett of Reel Big Fish, Marshall Goodman, Ikey Owens of Free Moral Agents, and more--people who knew Nowell, played with him and were inspired by him.